


irony

by cheerbits



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Canon Compliant, Character Study, Developing Friendships, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Soulmate-Identifying Timers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:09:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26715004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheerbits/pseuds/cheerbits
Summary: Nishinoya Yuu isn’t really into the idea of soulmates—or really, any idea as caging as fate or destiny—but he can’t help but think his soulmate timer's inevitable00:00:00is pretty poetic, falling on the day his suspension from club activities will finally be lifted.In which Nishinoya Yuu meets Hinata Shouyou for the first time.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Nishinoya Yuu, Nishinoya Yuu & Sugawara Koushi
Comments: 3
Kudos: 87





	irony

Nishinoya Yuu lives in the moment, a realm where fear and doubt have no time to thrive and no time to stop Nishinoya on his never-ending pursuit in enjoying what life has to offer. He’s learned from his childhood—courtesy of his grandfather—how many opportunities he’d waste for boxing himself in, even more so if he lets the world dictate his limits.

Soulmates are one of those limits, in Nishinoya’s opinion, but no one truly listens to his side whenever he’s asked why his left wrist is bare of watches or wristbands, why he’s fine with everyone seeing the ink-black numbers counting down on his skin, _why don’t you believe in soulmates? You have one!_

He just doesn’t care the same way everyone does about soulmates, doesn’t believe meeting them should be a big deal because they’re just people too, and doesn’t think placing expectations on someone you have never met before is something he can get behind with. What he’ll feel about his soulmate is a bridge he’ll cross eventually—one he does look forward to, even, with a different sense of enthusiasm.

It’s only when he enters Karasuno High and meets Sugawara when he finds someone with the same mindset. “Soulmates are made, not found,” his amicable senior has said with a kind and refreshing smile, and Nishinoya still treasures the feeling of being understood about it for the first time. Yet the memory of that moment isn’t perfect, he remembers clearly how Sugawara wrapped his wrist with skin tone adhesive as he said those words. But Nishinoya knows that Sugawara means what he says and knows that a little contradiction is merely a reminder that concealing timers is a deeply ingrained habit that he lacks. 

Nishinoya Yuu isn’t really into the idea of soulmates—or really, any idea as caging as fate or destiny—but he can’t help but think his soulmate timer's inevitable _00:00:00_ is pretty poetic, falling on the day his suspension from club activities will finally be lifted. 

And so he laughs at the irony when his heart pounds at the sight of _10:10:10_

_10:10:09_

_10:10:08_

_10:10:07_

_10:10:06_

_10:10:05_

_10:10:04_

“Ah, crap."

  
  


**✿**

  
  


Nishinoya decides to be honest with himself when he wakes up — he’s _nervous_. He doesn’t look at the numbers on his wrist (and forgets the mental math he’s done last night, much to his relief), relying on the sleeves of his gakuran uniform to keep his curiosity at bay, and suddenly using skin tone adhesive to ‘lessen distractions,’ as Kinoshita once reasoned, makes more sense now. 

“I’m nervous,” he admits again, this time to his half-awake grandfather during breakfast. “Is that bad?”

“Not at all, Yuu,” is the unexpected reply. Nishinoya thought he’d get a dose of tough love and _toughen up your mind_ instead. “But don’t be too nervous. I know, ‘cause I nearly shat my pants the day I met your grandma.”

He leaves home with a smile, thanking his grandpa for a good laugh by getting himself scolded for ‘language in front of the food.’

 _Just treat today like a normal day,_ Nishinoya tells himself this time, confidence coursing through his veins with every step closer to Karasuno. There’s more than just his soulmate, after all! He’ll finally step into their court again, see everyone and _especially_ Kiyoko-san again, and reassure his teammates— _especially_ Asahi—that he’s been training despite his absence. There’s still room for improvement, definitely, Nishinoya knows, but his unspoken promise to keep the rally going for his team is revitalized and ready to be met.

God, he’s just excited to play together with them again.

His legs move by muscle memory, unforgetting of its daily route to the gym even after weeks of suspension, and the sight of open doors pulls him in like a magnet. The sound of his heartbeats thrum softly in his ears as he slides off his uniform jacket, soon overpowered by squeaking shoes and… irritated yelling.

A deep breath, and he steps in. A boy he’s never seen before— _a first year?_ —is gripping a ball from across the court.

Time slows down as the ball goes up, a killer serve creating a perfect trajectory. The rush of adrenaline takes over Nishinoya, whose shoes barely squeak against the floor, his form gliding into the court.

A satisfied smile graces his lips at the familiar _thump_ on his arms. The ball courses to the spot where the hypothetical setter—where Sugawara would be in a real match. It's the closest so far to what he can consider to be a perfect receive.

The boy across him stares as the ball’s bounces echo soundly in the gym until it traces off, replaced only by slow approaching footsteps from Nishinoya's right.

Nishinoya feels a sting on his left wrist— _the sting_ that burns the mark of his soulmate timer into a permanent string of zeros on his skin—and time stays still for a moment. Nishinoya finds himself staring at tufts of orange hair.

His first thought after the sting is _this hurts more than I thought it would,_ and his second is _his hair is more orange-y than a carrot!_

Nishinoya doesn’t know how long his eyes stay locked with—with his _soulmate’s_ eyes, brown and wide and glimmering with awe and curiosity. He doesn’t blink, and Nishinoya can almost see a reflection of himself, just as awed and just as curious while his mind becomes a paradox filled with thoughts and at the same time, none.

His soulmate is a fresh face, a kouhai he can potentially spoil, his soulmate _plays volleyball!_ Nishinoya is so, so close to smiling, so close to blurting out “ _how soft is your hair, kid?”_ —

“Y—You’re shorter than me?”

—but freezes in place instead, blood turning cold. The words… sting worse than the ‘soulmate sting,’ or whatever people call it, as he realizes that one of his soulmate’s first thoughts of him involves his height. Of all things!

He gets bested by his temper, his fist curling up as he threateningly questions the kid and scolds him for crying tears of joy for ‘finally _not_ being the shortest in the team.’ Nishinoya almost forgets the concept of soulmates exists, even more so when Tanaka, Daichi, and Sugawara enter the picture and quell his annoyance. His curiosity towards the kid’s orange hair becomes shelved, taken over by excitement from learning the other first year with the mean serve is from Kitagawa Daiichi and from the sight of Kiyoko-san after weeks of being away.

He almost forgets he’s just met his soulmate when he learns Asahi hasn’t returned, hearing Daichi’s disheartened ‘no’ and seeing Sugawara’s gaze fall, turning his heel after exchanging words with an equally frustrated Tanaka in defense of their ace. _Former ace?_ Nishinoya thinks bitterly. 

He almost forgets about his soulmate. Almost.

“U—Uh,” stammers a voice behind him, and Nishinoya sighs.

Right. This kid. Nishinoya’s glad he never had expectations on how he’d meet his soulmate. _What a way to start the day._

“Nishiya-san, you’re a libero, right? A defense specialist?” the kid asks, eyes still as wide as the moment they first met. He almost looks like a lost puppy.

“It’s Nishinoya,” he huffs. “Why d’you think I’m a libero? ‘Cause I’m short?”

Not a second passes before the boy makes a genuine squeak of confusion, followed by, “No, because you’re good at receives,” in a tone that’s sure and firm. 

Nishinoya blinks in surprise. 

“I—I mean, having the libero position isn't something you'd do because you're short. It's a position because you're good at receiving, right?" 

_Huh._

He smiles. The kid manages to redeem himself, after all. “You understand pretty well, huh?” 

The kid’s eyes widen again, the awe in his gaze so obvious, and Nishinoya wonders if his eyes always sparkle when someone compliments him for getting something right. Nishinoya isn’t one to stick with first impressions—luckily so for this kid, because his sudden blow kind of warrants Nishinoya to not want to give him the time of day—but he seems like the simple-minded kind Nishinoya could get along well with. 

“Also, the captain called you our ‘guardian deity’!” the kid adds excitedly. 

In hindsight, Nishinoya should have expected this. Daichi’s more cunning than he appears, and his soulmate really _is_ the simple-minded kind Nishinoya deduced he’d be. But at that moment, Nishinoya’s fluster turns him into a babbling mess, overwhelmed by such a badass nickname taking him by surprise. It almost feels like this kid’s buttering Nishinoya up so he’d return to the club for their benefit. Damn Daichi for knowing him so well and for knowing that a cute-faced first year is such a good weapon for his arsenal. It’s _almost_ effective but his resolve won’t waver just because of this.

The kid’s expression turns crestfallen as Nishinoya continues exclaiming he won’t give in so easily, but what surprises Nishinoya are the words he says. The kid is honest, acknowledging his weakness in volleyball and praises the act of receiving as the most important thing in the sport.

The kid… gets it. He gets volleyball.

“So please teach me how to do receives, Nishi—Nishinoya-senpai!”

Nishinoya Yuu isn’t really into the idea of soulmates, but the irony of it all is how he grows fond of his own even after their mess of a first encounter.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first HQ fic, so please be nice! I'm still in the process of getting to know the characters and everything ;-;  
> As for some context for the fic: people hide their soulmate timers because of different reasons but in general, society believes soulmates are very important and is also trying to move on from the mindset that soulmates are just people-who-get-married-automatically (but a lot still believe in soulmates are the endgame romance hahalol). Hiding timers lets soulmates settle their relationship in a private matter and also keeps people from assuming things about other people just because of their timers. Noya doesn't think hiding timers is necessary though so he's chill 
> 
> Thank you for reading! You can find me @cheesbits on twt :D


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